Sporting garment and corresponding sock, attachment member and kits

ABSTRACT

A sporting garment for removably receiving one or more articles of clothing, such as a sock, is described. The garment has leg portions for covering at least in part the legs of a person wearing the garment. Each leg portion has a central division extending along a length of each leg portion, and corresponds to a front portion and a rear portion of the legs of the person, thereby dividing each leg portion into lateral sides. The garment also has an attachment member mounted on at least one of the lateral sides of at least one leg portion, the attachment member being positioned, shaped, and sized for removably receiving the at least one article of clothing on said leg portion of the garment. Also described are corresponding garment kits, a sock and an attachment member.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a garment. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sporting garment for removably receiving at least one article of clothing, as well as to corresponding sock, attachment member, and garment kits.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Known in the art are undergarments for hockey players. Such hockey undergarments include mesh shorts, compression shorts, compression pants, full length one-piece underwear, padded girdles and player pants. Often these undergarments also include a jock portion.

Velcro® is typically located on the front and back of the upper portion of the leg to hold up hockey socks. Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, due to the inherent physiology of the leg, there is a natural tendency for the sock to pull on the undergarment when the leg moves. There is a pull on the front of the undergarment when the knee is bent. And there is a pull on the back of the undergarment when the knee is lifted in front of the body. The “pulling effect” is exacerbated due to the location of the Velcro® on the front and back of the leg. And the energy required by a hockey player to counter this “pulling effect” while skating is effectively wasted energy. It will be appreciated that the percentage values shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are given for illustrative purposes only, and may not represent actual percentage values.

Known to the Applicant are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,970,129; 2,599,769; 2,617,990; 3,501,774; 4,811,427; 5,539,927; 5,608,915; 6,701,533; 6,782,559; 7,937,767; and 8,146,170. However, the teachings of these documents do not resolve the aforementioned drawback.

Hence, in light of the aforementioned, there is a need for an improved system which, by virtue of its design and components, would be able to overcome some of the above-discussed prior art concerns.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a device which, by virtue of its design and components, satisfies some of the above-mentioned needs and is thus an improvement over other related sport undergarments known in the prior art.

In accordance with the present invention, the above mentioned object is achieved, as will be easily understood, by a garment such as the one briefly described herein and such as the one exemplified in the accompanying drawings.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a sporting garment for removably receiving at least one article of clothing, comprising:

-   -   leg portions for covering at least in part the legs of a person         wearing the garment, each leg portion having a central division         extending along a length of each leg portion corresponding to a         front portion and a rear portion of the legs of the person,         thereby dividing each leg portion into lateral sides; and     -   an attachment member mounted on at least one of the lateral         sides of at least one leg portion, the attachment member being         positioned, shaped, and sized for removably receiving the at         least one article of clothing on said leg portion of the         garment.

According to another aspect, there is provided a garment kit for removably receiving at least one article of clothing, comprising:

-   -   a sporting garment, the garment having leg portions for covering         at least in part the legs of a person wearing the garment, each         leg portion having a central division extending along a length         of each leg portion corresponding to a front portion and a rear         portion of the legs of the person, thereby dividing each leg         portion into lateral sides; and     -   an attachment member mountable to at least one of the lateral         sides of at least one leg portion, the attachment member being         positioned, shaped, and sized for removably receiving the at         least one article of clothing on said leg portion of the         garment.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided a garment kit for being worn by a person, comprising:

-   -   a sporting garment having:         -   leg portions for covering at least in part the legs of the             person wearing the garment, each leg portion having a             central division extending along a length of each leg             portion corresponding to a front portion and a rear portion             of the legs of the person, thereby dividing each leg portion             into lateral sides; and         -   an attachment member mounted on at least one of the lateral             sides of at least one leg portion; and     -   socks, each sock having a sock attachment member for engaging         the corresponding attachment member of said leg portion, thereby         removably attaching each sock to a corresponding one of the leg         portions.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided a sock for removably attaching to a sporting garment having two leg portions, each leg portion having a central division extending along a length of each leg portion corresponding to a front portion and a rear portion of the legs of the person, thereby dividing each leg portion into lateral sides, the sock comprising an attachment member positioned on at least one of the lateral sides of the sock, the attachment member being positioned, shaped, and sized so as to removably attach the sock to at least one of the lateral sides of the leg portion.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided an attachment member for a sporting garment having two leg portions, each leg portion having a central division extending along a length of each leg portion corresponding to a front portion and a rear portion of the legs of a person, thereby dividing each leg portion into lateral sides, the attachment member being removably mountable to at least one of the lateral sides of at least one of the leg portions.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided a garment comprising:

-   -   leg portions, each leg portion having a front side and a rear         side corresponding respectively to a front portion and a rear         portion of a person wearing the garment, and opposing lateral         sides between the front and rear sides; and     -   an attachment member mounted on at least one of said lateral         sides of each leg portion for attaching a sock to each leg         portion of the garment.

Preferably, a first and a second attachment members are mounted respectively on each of the lateral sides of each leg portion.

Preferably, each of the attachment members is mounted to a corresponding lateral side such that the attachment member in question is located on said lateral side at a level above the knee of a person wearing the garment. In other embodiments, the attachment member may be located on the lateral side at a level which is substantially aligned with the knee of a person wearing the garment.

Still preferably, each leg portion is configured to allow free movement of the sock with respect to the garment on the front and rear sides, when the sock is attached to the leg portion. In other words, the sock is preferably unattached at the front and/or rear sides of each leg portion, and only at the lateral, sides or in close proximity thereto.

Preferably, the attachment member is a hook-and-loop fastener, although other types of attachment members are within the scope of the present disclosure.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided a kit comprising:

-   -   a garment for practicing a sport, the garment having leg         portions, each leg portion having a front side and a rear side         corresponding respectively to a front portion and a rear portion         of a person wearing the garment and opposing lateral sides         between the front and rear sides; and     -   an attachment member mountable on at least one of said lateral         sides of each leg portion for attaching a sock to each leg         portion of the garment.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided a kit comprising:

-   -   a garment having:         -   leg portions, each leg portion having a front side and a             rear side corresponding respectively to a front portion and             a rear portion of a person wearing the garment, and opposing             lateral sides between the front and rear sides; and         -   an attachment member mounted on at least one of said lateral             sides of each leg portion; and     -   socks, each sock having an attachment member positioned on at         least one lateral side of the sock to cooperate with a         corresponding one of the attachment member of the corresponding         leg portion, in order to attach each sock to a corresponding one         of the leg portions.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided a pair of socks for cooperating with a garment having two leg portions, each leg portion having a front side and a rear side corresponding respectively to a front portion and a rear portion of a person wearing the garment, and opposing lateral sides between the front and rear sides, each sock comprising:

-   -   an attachment member positioned on at least one lateral side of         the sock, in order to attach each sock to a corresponding one of         the leg portions, at least one of the lateral sides of the leg         portion.

The objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given for the purpose of exemplification only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a garment according to a first embodiment of the present invention, the garment being provided in the form of a short.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the garment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the garment shown in FIG. 1, taken along line

FIG. 4 is a front view of a garment according to a second embodiment of the present invention, the garment being provided in the form of a pant.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the garment shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the garment shown in FIG. 4, taken along line VI-VI.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a garment being worn on the legs of a user, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the garment being provided in the form of a short.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the garment of FIG. 7, one leg of the user being shown bent at the knee and raised from the ground.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a prior art garment being worn on the legs of a user.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the prior art garment of FIG. 9, one leg of the user being shown bent at the knee and raised from the ground.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, the same numerical references refer to similar elements. The embodiments, geometrical configurations, materials mentioned and/or dimensions shown in the figures or described in the present description are preferred embodiments only, given for exemplification purposes only.

Moreover, although the preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises components such as a Velcro® fastener, a flap, etc., and although the preferred embodiment of the garment and corresponding parts thereof consists of certain geometrical configurations as explained and illustrated herein, not all of these components and geometries are essential to the invention and thus should not be taken in their restrictive sense, i.e. should not be taken as to limit the scope of the present invention. It is to be understood, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art, that other suitable components and cooperations thereinbetween, as well as other suitable geometrical configurations may be used for the garment according to the present invention, as will be briefly explained herein and as can be easily inferred herefrom, by a person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Broadly described, the garment according to the present invention, as exemplified in the accompanying drawings, is a garment for practicing a sport, such as hockey, and configured to attach a sock at lateral sides of the garment, in order to reduce the pulling effect of conventional hockey garments when socks are attached at the front and rear (i.e. over the knee of the user of the garment), and thus minimize the energy exerted by hockey players to counter this pulling effect.

According to an embodiment of the present, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the garment 10 is a hockey short 12 (such as a mesh or compression short) and comprises two leg portions 14 to fit onto legs of a hockey player. Each leg portion 14 has a front side 16 and a rear side 18 corresponding respectively to a front portion and a rear portion of the hockey player when wearing the garment 10. Each leg portion 14 has opposing lateral sides 20, 22 between the front and rear sides 16, 18.

Attachment members, and more particularly hook-and-loop fasteners 24, such as Velcro®, are mounted on each lateral side 20, 22 of each leg portion 14, as can be seen in FIGS. 1-3.

A sock may thus be secured to the garment 10 by adherence to the fasteners 24 on the lateral sides 20, 22 of each leg portion 14.

In alternate embodiments, the socks may each be provided with cooperating fasteners on corresponding lateral sides thereof, as can be easily understood by the skilled person.

Referring back to FIGS. 1-3, a flap 25 extends from each fastener 24, to cover the Velcro® fastener 24 when it is not in use, thus preventing other textiles from adhering to the Velcro® fastener 24.

Another embodiment of the present is illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, where the garment 10 is a compression pant 26. Similarly to the first embodiment, the pant 26 comprises two leg portions 14, each leg portion 14 having a front side 16 and a rear side 18 corresponding respectively to a front and rear portions of a hockey player when wearing the garment 10. Each leg portion 14 has opposing lateral sides 20, 22 between the front and rear sides 16, 18. Fasteners 24 are mounted on each lateral side 20, 22 of each leg portion 14, in order to secure a sock onto the lateral sides 22, 24 of each leg portion 14. Also, a flap 25 extends from each fastener 24, to cover the Velcro® fastener 24, for example, when it is not in use.

The attachment members 24 can be mounted to any portion of the lateral sides 20, 22. Optionally, each of the attachment members 24 can be mounted to a section 28 of the corresponding leg portion 14 which spans from a knee level of the garment 10 to a waist level of the garment 10. Further optionally, the attachment members 24 can be mounted within this section 28 at knee level such that the attachment members 24 align with the knee of a person wearing the garment 10, or such that the attachment members 24 are positioned above this knee level (see FIGS. 1 and 4). Each leg portion 14 is further configured to allow free movement of the sock with respect to the garment 10 on the front 16 and rear 18 sides, in that when the sock is attached to the leg portion 14, the sock is unattached at the front 16 and/or rear 18 sides, and only at the lateral sides 20, 22, thereby allowing for adequate attachment of the sock to the garment 10, while reducing interference of movements of the hockey player with the tension between the sock and the garment 10.

Advantageously, and as exemplified in FIGS. 7 and 8, the “pulling effect” of conventional systems where the sock is attached at the front and rear of the garment is reduced, which in turn minimizes the necessary energy to be exerted by the hockey player to counter this “pulling effect”.

In the context of the present, a “lateral side” corresponds to a lateral side region of each leg portion of the garment.

In the context of hockey equipment, it is to be understood that the garment may be mesh shorts, compression shorts, compression pants, a full length one-piece underwear, padded girdle, player pants, and/or the like.

Moreover, although the above-described optional embodiments are directed to hockey equipment, it is to be understood that the present invention may provide a garment for other sports or utility where it is desirable to attach a sock or lower leg garment to an upper leg garment while promoting free movement of the leg of a person wearing the lower and upper leg garments.

Moreover, in alternate embodiments, the attachment member may be provided by any suitable fastener or securing mechanism, which may include a button, hook, elastic, loop, cord, clip, which may cooperate with a corresponding fastening component on the sock. It is to be understood also that multiple attachment members may be mounted on any given lateral side of any leg portion. It is to be understood also that any attachment member may have any suitable shape and size, such as rectangular, circular, triangular, polygonal, etc.

It is to be understood that the above-described attachment member may be provided separately to be mounted on the garment, or as part of a kit together with the garment. Still alternatively, another kit may include the garment and one or more corresponding pairs of socks. Still alternatively, the attachment member may be provided on the sock, positioned to align with the lateral side of the garment.

Numerous other modifications could be made to the above-described garment, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The above-described embodiments are considered in all respect only as illustrative and not restrictive, and the present application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations thereof, as apparent to a person skilled in the art. 

The invention claimed is as follows:
 1. A sporting garment for removably receiving at least one article of clothing, comprising: leg portions for covering at least in part the legs of a person wearing the garment, each leg portion having a central division extending along a length of each leg portion corresponding to a front portion and a rear portion of the legs of the person, thereby dividing each leg portion into lateral sides; and an attachment member mounted on at least one of the lateral sides of at least one leg portion, the attachment member being positioned, shaped, and sized for removably receiving the at least one article of clothing on said leg portion of the garment.
 2. A sporting garment according to claim 1, wherein the attachment member comprises a plurality of attachment members, at least one of the plurality of attachment members being mounted on each of the lateral sides of each leg portion.
 3. A sporting garment according to claim 1, wherein each leg portion comprises an inner lateral side corresponding to an inner portion of the leg of the person, and an opposed outer lateral side corresponding to an outer portion of the leg of the person.
 4. A sporting garment according to claim 3, wherein the attachment member comprises a plurality of attachment members, at least one of the plurality of attachment members being mounted on each of the inner and outer lateral sides of each leg portion.
 5. A sporting garment according to claim 1, wherein the attachment member is mounted on the at least one of the lateral sides at a level substantially aligned with the knee of the person wearing garment.
 6. A sporting garment according to claim 1, wherein the attachment member is mounted on the at least one of the lateral sides at a level above the knee of the person wearing garment.
 7. A sporting garment according to claim 1, wherein the attachment member is mounted on the at least one of the lateral sides at a level below the waist of the person wearing the garment.
 8. A sporting garment according to claim 1, wherein the attachment member is a hook-and-loop fastener.
 9. A sporting garment according to claim 8, wherein the attachment member comprises a flap for covering the hook-and-loop fastener.
 10. A sporting garment according to claim 1, wherein the attachment member is a fastener selected from the group consisting of a button, a hook, an elastic, a loop, a cord, and a clip.
 11. A sporting garment according to claim 1, wherein the at least one article of clothing is at least one sock.
 12. A sporting garment according to claim 1, the sporting garment being a compression pant.
 13. A sporting garment according to claim 1, the sporting garment being a hockey compression short.
 14. A sporting garment according to claim 1, the sporting garment being jock shorts.
 15. A sporting garment according to claim 1, the sporting garment being a full-length one-piece undergarment.
 16. A garment kit for removably receiving at least one article of clothing, comprising: a sporting garment, the garment having leg portions for covering at least in part the legs of a person wearing the garment, each leg portion having a central division extending along a length of each leg portion corresponding to a front portion and a rear portion of the legs of the person, thereby dividing each leg portion into lateral sides; and an attachment member mountable to at least one of the lateral sides of at least one leg portion, the attachment member being positioned, shaped, and sized for removably receiving the at least one article of clothing on said leg portion of the garment.
 17. A garment kit for being worn by a person, comprising: a sporting garment having: leg portions for covering at least in part the legs of the person wearing the garment, each leg portion having a central division extending along a length of each leg portion corresponding to a front portion and a rear portion of the legs of the person, thereby dividing each leg portion into lateral sides; and an attachment member mounted on at least one of the lateral sides of at least one leg portion; and socks, each sock having a sock attachment member for engaging the corresponding attachment member of said leg portion, thereby removably attaching each sock to a corresponding one of the leg portions.
 18. A garment kit according to claim 17, wherein the sock attachment member is positioned on at least one lateral side of the sock.
 19. A sock for removably attaching to a sporting garment having two leg portions, each leg portion having a central division extending along a length of each leg portion corresponding to a front portion and a rear portion of the legs of the person, thereby dividing each leg portion into lateral sides, the sock comprising an attachment member positioned on at least one of the lateral sides of the sock, the attachment member being positioned, shaped, and sized so as to removably attach the sock to at least one of the lateral sides of the leg portion.
 20. A sock according to claim 19, wherein the attachment member has two attachment members, each attachment member positioned on different lateral sides of the sock.
 21. An attachment member for a sporting garment having two leg portions, each leg portion having a central division extending along a length of each leg portion corresponding to a front portion and a rear portion of the legs of a person, thereby dividing each leg portion into lateral sides, the attachment member being removably mountable to at least one of the lateral sides of at least one of the leg portions. 